Kirian didn’t like the feel she was getting from Lord Callo; the man seemed angry, unsettled. She remembered his demeanor as he practiced his sword forms in the clearing, and decided to end this confrontation.
“I will come,” she said.
“You need not,” Lord Callo said. “You, Jiriman, must speak to Lord Alkiran before seizing any of his people.” Miri fidgeted and tossed her head as if the hand on her reins was impatient.
“Who do you think you are?” retorted Jiriman, his face flushing.
“My name is Callo ran Alkiran.”
“Ah, I have heard of you. You are the Royal Bastard.” Jiriman showed his teeth. “Let us by, Bastard.”
Kirian was shocked at his tone. What was wrong with the man, who clearly knew Callo’s identity as the King’s nephew, yet mocked him in this way? The other horsemen had an ugly look about them too; what was wrong with all of them?
“By Jashan!” swore Callo, flushing in anger. His hand gripped his sword hilt. “You will have some respect for Lord Alkiran’s authority, if not mine!” Miri’s rear hooves were a few inches from the edge of the cliff. They displaced small stones as Callo urged her in toward the men. One of the guardsmen shoved forward, and Callo half-drew his sword.
“Stop!” Kirian demanded. She held up her hands as she stepped between the horses. “All of you, there is a wider part of the path a little way down. Take your quarrel there before someone ends up on the rocks!”
Lord Callo didn’t move, but Jiriman cast a quick look down the cliff at the sea churning away at the rocks. He paled a little, and pulled back. With a sidelong look at Callo, he said, “Let us take this advice. Show us the way, Healer.”
Kirian pushed her way between the knot of horses and walked a few minutes until the path curled to one side, into a small level area away from the steep edge. The horsemen followed her. She damped the strange irritation she felt under her skin—so strange, for her to feel so on edge, just like the men whose quarrel had blown up out of nothing. She took a deep breath of the cleansing sea air and felt better.
The little walk to the level area had cooled the men’s tensions. Lord Callo sheathed his sword. He looked tired; the coiling tension was gone from his shoulders.
Jiriman still looked rather red in the face. “I apologize to you, Healer, and to you, Lord Callo. I don’t know what—well, I will indeed speak with Lord Mikati before requesting your cooperation, Healer Kirian.”
“Lord Mikati is dead,” Callo said. “It is Lord Arias who is Lord Alkiran now.”
“Indeed!” Jiriman said. “Then Lord Arias. I saw him once at Fortress Mount. He will not remember me, but he will remember Lady Mia Lon.”
Now that it appeared that there would not be a battle on the cliff trail, Kirian was curious. “Captain, who are you searching for?”
“His name is Inmay, a Healer from the College. He is known to be a friend of yours, and it is thought he might have sought shelter here.”
“I will tell you freely that I have not seen him at all, not since we parted on the way to our postings. What . . .” she cleared her throat, suddenly afraid. “May I ask, what is he accused of?”
“He has stolen a valuable slave. And he is accused of attempted murder against a lord of the land.”
Callo was alert again, eyes narrowed. “Whom did he attempt to kill?”
“Lord Tilonar, Lady Mia Lon’s lord husband. He is the slave’s master. We will want to conduct a search—with Lord Alkiran’s permission.” Jiriman cast a placating glance at Lord Callo.
“I am sure Lord Alkiran will conduct the proper searches. I will take you up to him. Hon Kirian, you may return home with my own apology, and I’m sure that of these men as well.”
She looked up at him with a rueful smile. It had been a disturbing morning, what with swords at her throat and near-battles on the cliff path. Callo smiled back at her, the sun gleaming on his fair hair, once again human and terribly attractive. She was glad to see the demons had fled his mind, at least for now.
“I do apologize, Hon Kirian,” Jiriman said. “But I will be back in the village to see you later.”
She nodded and turned her back on all of them. The few rueberries, somehow previously undisturbed by all the fuss, now rattled in her basket. She wished she could ask the men to make it up to her by getting her a few more baskets of berries, but, of course, that was inappropriate, though the idea made her grin. She heard them resume climbing the path, saddles creaking. Inmay was somewhere in the open with his slave girl, running from Fortress Mount’s guards. She had no doubt he had committed the crime he was accused of; it was in his pattern, after all. She reached the end of the cliff path, came out onto blessedly level ground, and looked around at the village, brightened by the winter sun. She prayed to the Unknown God that Inmay didn’t come here.
Tired, cold, and disconcerted by the morning’s high emotion—Kirian still wondered, a little shocked at herself, why she had felt so angry on the bluff—she decided to return directly to Ruthan’s house. She could put the berries in the window, where they would stay chilled until she felt able to make another excursion.
No sooner had she closed the door of Ruthan’s house behind her than she knew something was amiss. Ruthan sat in the battered old chair facing the door as if she were awaiting Kirian. The doors to both of the outer rooms were closed. Ruthan did not greet her. Kirian set the basket of berries on the kitchen table and returned to Ruthan’s side.
“Well, child,” Ruthan said. “You have visitors.” The old woman’s voice creaked, and her hands were clenched on the woolen shawl she wore.
“Who?”
“I fear it is that young Healer and the slave the guardsmen were searching for, not an hour ago. They knocked on the door immediately after the guards were gone up the cliff path.”
“You mean they searched here already? Without telling Lord Arias?”
“We didn’t encourage them, but yes. Lord Mikati would have clapped them into the cells for such presumption. I expect this new lord will be no different—he has a temper too, after all.”
Kirian turned and stared at the two closed rooms where Ruthan saw those who needed her aid. “They are in there? Are they hurt?”
“No, just cautious. We didn’t know who was at the door. I told the young man to leave, but he would wait for you.”
As she spoke, a door cracked open and a pale face peered out. It was crowned by a thatch of fair hair streaked with premature gray.
“Inmay, I can’t believe you would come here!” Kirian said. “Do you know I was stopped by armed guards on the cliff path? Take your friend and leave here. I want nothing to do with this.”
Inmay came out of the room, followed by a woman clad in plain gray trousers and tunic. The woman looked straight at Kirian and Kirian caught her breath. She had never before seen anyone so beautiful. The woman had large, soft brown eyes fringed with thick lashes in a face that would have suited one of the gods. Her skin was honey-colored and smooth. Even through the stiff folds of her tunic, her graceful curves were apparent.
Inmay took the woman’s hand and smiled at Kirian with pride. “This is Eyelinn. She and I are escaping together.”
Kirian put her hand to her head. It had begun aching. Inmay’s pride in his companion was so totally inappropriate that at first she did not know how to respond. Ruthan broke the silence.
“Then you had best escape faster, young one. I’ll not call you a Healer anymore, since you’ve caused harm to another.”
“I have hurt no one. Lord Tilonar was simply ill. Their talk of poison is nonsense. Is it not, Eyelinn?”
Eyelinn’s glance flicked downward, hiding her eyes. “Yes. They made it all up.” Her voice was as smooth as her skin. Kirian could almost understand, even in those few words, how Inmay could have got trapped in it, like a fly drawn to sugar. She cast a quick glance at Ruthan who sat staring at the slave with her all-seeing blind eyes and a frown on her wrinkled face.
“I fear that what you do not know has hurt you a great deal, young man,” Ruthan said. “You will undoubtedly get what you both deserve. Well, Kirian? These are your friends . . .”
“Friends? I think we are no longer friends.”
Inmay said, “Now, Kirian . . .”
“You were once a friend of mine,” she said. “We all stumbled all over ourselves to help you when you got into trouble in Sugetre—and yes, you got off easily compared to Hass, didn’t you? Hass died for it! You have learned nothing. I don’t know whether this woman manipulated you or you seduced her. Either way, I will offer you no aid. One of you is a murderer. You are putting me and Ruthan in danger just by being here. What do you suppose Lord Alkiran will do if he discovers you? Or Hon Jiriman, if he thinks I lied about not knowing where you are?”
“Help us anyway, Kirian. Do it for me. For us. I love Eyelinn so much.” Inmay came closer as if he wished to take Kirian’s hand, but she stepped back.
“I have had my fill of helping you,” Kirian said.
“We will manage without her,” Eyelinn said to Inmay in her low, sweet voice. “We will stay the night and go our way. Perhaps this woman can show us the way to Two Merkhan—a way that will keep us away from any search parties. Jiriman knows me well, Inmay. He has followed me back at home, watching me. If he finds me, I will not see Fortress Mount again; even to stand trial before Lady Mia Lon.”
“You see?” Inmay’s frantic glance caught at Kirian’s. “How can you resist that, Kirian?”
“I find myself quite able to. I have been caught in your toils before.” Kirian sighed. “Ruthan, may I give them some fruit and the hard cooked eggs from this morning?”
The old woman nodded. “They can go up the cliff path—but take the fork, to go up to the caravan road. The way you came in, Kirian. The sooner the better, I say.”
“And run right into castlefolk? We’ll wait until nightfall.” Eyelinn sat on one of the dinner chairs, drawn up to the table.
“If you wait until nightfall, you’ll drive Ruthan into a nervous fit. And me, too. You’ll go when I say you go, or I’ll send a messenger to the Castle. That would save my skin, wouldn’t it?”
Inmay’s eyes were sorrowful. “You’ve become so cruel, Kirian.”
“Consider yourself fortunate that you’re getting food and directions. I am really tempted to give you neither.” Kirian brushed past Inmay into the pantry area and shoved the eggs and some apples into a cloth sack. As an afterthought she threw in a loaf of bread. When she emerged, Eyelinn was still seated at her ease, but Inmay stood fidgeting near the door.
Ruthan spoke up from her chair. “Kirian, my girl, I believe I hear horsemen on the path.”
Kirian peered out the window and saw that there were indeed four horsemen just leaving the steep part of the trail. She thought she could see that one of the riders had a black beard. Her ears caught the faint sounds of hooves on the small rocks at the foot of the path.
“They could not have spoken to Lord Arias already?”
“Get us out of here, Kirian!” pleaded Inmay. Eyelinn showed no signs of panic. She stood, and her fine eyes narrowed. Inmay clung to her hand.
“Kirian!” Ruthan said, pushing herself forward in her chair. “You must not allow those men to find them here. Lord Arias has a temper, like Mikati. Your life will be in danger!”
“My
life
?”
Ruthan hoisted herself out of the chair. “You do not know what these lords can do. A Collared Lord can do anything, Kirian, anything. And no one will call him to account.”
“I realize that, but I have committed no offense.”
Ruthan, unusually agitated, waved Inmay and Eyelinn away. “Girl, you don’t know. Neither did I commit any offense years ago when I told Lord Mikati I wanted to go back to my family after serving here for years.”
“I thought he valued you. I thought he gave you your eyes of many col . . .”
“He did, child. He gave me these eyes, a miracle they are! But first he
took my own eyes
, and left me blind for months before he realized I could not serve him thus.” Ruthan gasped for breath in her agitation.
Kirian felt her mouth drop open. “He blinded you?”
“Where are those men?”
Kirian looked. “They have stopped at Elder Hame’s house.”
“Get these runaways out of here! You must pretend to no knowledge of them, Kirian.”
“What about you?”
“I am safe. I am old, and I am under no suspicion. But you—you have helped this idiot before. I fear for you, Kirian.” Ruthan’s voice cracked.
“All right, I hear you. Inmay, you and Eyelinn are to leave. Now!”
“We have no idea where to go.” Eyelinn’s voice was still calm. “The cliff path is apparently out.”
Kirian thought fast. The couple could indeed no longer use the cliff path, since that would mean walking directly past the search party. “Go through the village, out along the strand. Those rocks over there hide a sea cave—the entrance will be exposed now, at low tide. You can hide there until Jiriman goes, and after that I care not what becomes of you. Ruthan, calm down, or you will take ill. Remember this Lord Arias is not his father.”
“They are all the same, Kirian. All of them, the Collared Lords and their get. Where are those men?”
“They are at Hame’s house. They are inside. Inmay, Eyelinn, go!”
Inmay pulled at Eyelinn’s hand. “Let us go, my dear. They are too close.”
She did not budge. “We know not where to go. This woman can show us.”
Inmay looked pleadingly at Kirian. She cast a look up to the ceiling.
“Gods above, how can he be so helpless? Ruthan, I will take them to the cave and leave them.”
“No! Kirian, I have come to care for you . . .”
“The fastest way to get them out of here is for me to take them. You had better follow me like my shadow, you two. And I don’t care where you go, but do not trouble me again! Because I aided you in Sugetre doesn’t mean I am an endless source of self-sacrifice, Inmay.”
“We can see that,” said Eyelinn.
“Come, then!” Glad she still wore her berrying cloak and tough shoes, Kirian gestured to the pair and peered out the door. The guardsmen were still in Elder Hame’s house, horses held by one of the village boys near the wooden walkway in front of the house. The boy’s back was to her, but one of Hame’s windows was unshuttered and stared directly at Ruthan’s house. Kirian said, “We will go out the window in the kitchen. Then, we go between houses until we reach the open strand. Then you run. Can you run, Eyelinn?”